Bus and other vehicles remained off the road at several places while railway services were also affected as BJD activists staged protests at several railway stations.

School children and office-goers bore the brunt of the strike as protesters blocked roads in Bhubaneswar and other parts of the state.

On the other hand, the state government has issued an advisory to close all schools and colleges in view of the hartal. Schools scheduled to hold examinations today have been asked to conduct the same on a different date.

The BJD has taken to streets today against the fuel price hike imposed on consumers by the Petroleum Ministry at a time when the price of crude oil has decreased in the international market,” said BJD spokesperson Sanjay Dasburma.

“The consumers are suffering while private oil companies in the country are earning crores,” he added.

While the international crude price has fallen, the NDA government has failed to take steps to reduce the price of petrol and diesel, BJD spokesperson Prasanna Kumar Acharya said.

Countering BJD allegations, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Prithviraj Harichandan said the state government should write to the central government to bring petroleum products in the ambit of Goods and Services Tax (GST) so that the fuel prices come down.